WHO Calls Israel's Charges Over UNRWA A "transversion" Of The Gaza War

Gaza/DOKmen UNRWA/Ashraf Amra

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) called Israel's accusations against the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) a "transversion" from intense attacks in Gaza and urged countries to resume funding to the agency.

"The current discussion is more about the diversion from what happens every day, every hour in Gaza," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in a press briefing in Geneva.

Lindmeier referred to recent allegations by Tel Aviv against some UNRWA staff that they were involved in a cross-border attack on Israel by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7.

Proposing while these allegations should be investigated, Lindmeier said the allegations were a deterrent' of actions that hinder the access of the entire country to food, water, and electricity to Gaza.

It also distracts attention from "continuous attacks" on Palestinians in Gaza, even in places that are declared safe, as well as from attacks in "foreigners, schools, hospitals," he continued.

There are 12 countries that have stopped funding for UNRWA such as Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, England, the Netherlands, the United States, France, Austria, and Japan.

Meanwhile, UNRWA stated that it had terminated contracts with several staff following Israel's allegations.

Israel launched a deadly attack on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7, killing at least 26,637 Palestinians and injuring 65,387 people. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have died in the Hamas attack.

Israeli attacks have left 85 percent of Gaza's population displaced amid food shortages, clean water, and medicines, while 60 percent of infrastructure in the enclave has been damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.